Take your square and fold in half then half again and give it a little press with an iron – This shows you where the centre is.

X marks the spot!

Now you’ll need to position your beautifully crafted patchwork using the crease lines to help you. Once you’re happy with it’s position pin everything securely in place.

Now for a bit of sewing – Either using a zig-zag or standard straight stitch, carefully sew along the edges of your work, removing the pins as you go.

This part takes a bit of time and requires a lot of lifting of the sewing foot and re-positioning – Just stick with it; You’re nearly there 🙂

Now you need to find a piece of scrap cardstock which we’ll use to make the central piece of our patchwork. You’ll need to cut a circle of card that’s slightly bigger than that unsightly hole in the middle of your work, then cut an even larger circle of fabric – It doesn’t matter if it’s a bit rough; No-one’s going to see your wonky scissorwork.

Now take a needle and thread and place a line of running stitches around the edge of your fabric circle, put you card circle in the middle and pull the threads tight so that they gather neatly round it.

Press with an iron and take care NOT to burn your fingers. Remove the card and Hey Presto! – A perfect fabric circle to add to the centre of your work.

Now you’ll need to pin it into position…

And sew it into place.

This is the stage when it’s probably a good time to do another little happy dance and marvel at your completed patchwork. Do the Instagram, Facebook, Twitter thing too if you have to – It’s good to share your triumphs with others.

Yay! The front of your cushion cover is complete – Gone forever are those unsightly threads and frayed edges of fabric.

So we’re on the home run – Not much more to do until we’ve made our marvellous cushion cover.

First we need to turn our attentions to the two rectangular pieces of fabric that are going to make up the rear of our cushion. We’re not going to fuss with zips or get into a muddle with buttonholes, we’re just going to make a simple envelope fastening so start by hemming each piece.

Once your hems are sorted you’ll need to piece all the elements together – Remember! You’re creating an envelope fastening at the back so you need to overlap your two rectangular pieces. Pin everything into place. take a deep breath and get ready to do your last bit of stitching 🙂

Yeah I know! Get me with the snazzy label 🙂

Now it’s a simple matter of sewing around all four edges of your cushion cover. I usually make a second pass with a zig-zag stitch as this helps to prevent fraying and also ensures nice strong seams that won’t burst open any time soon. It’s also a good idea to snip the corners off to reduce fabric bulk and make it easier to turn your work.

And, speaking of turning your work, that’s the next thing you’ll need to do. It’s time for the big reveal! Are you as excited as I am?

Well? How does it look?

Time for a final press with the iron and then we’ll pop a cushion inner into our marvellous make. If you’ve followed this tutorial closely you’ll have made a cushion cover that’s just the right size to take a ‘Krakris’ cushion which you can buy at Ikea for the princely sum of £1 – Total Bargain!

Ultimately though, you’ve made something that looks like a million dollars; You should be dead proud of yourself 🙂

And now you know how to do it, what’s stopping you? Go on! Make a few more and give your home a little makeover – You’ve got no excuse not to 🙂

I’ve been a bit naughty recently! Another reason for not blogging that often…….

I’ve discovered a more subversive side of me that I thought I’d grown out of years ago…. and suddenly become the Bramley & District Methodist’s Potty Mouth of the Month. Allow me to explain…….

My favourite answer to ANYTHING!!!!

No! I’m not going out of my way to be rude – It’s just one of the things that’s been keeping me quiet recently – Naughty Cushions!!!!!

Remember Jane Wynn? The clever lady responsible for ‘The Handmade Alternative’ pop-up shop in Bradford earlier this year and the designer/maker of marvellous beaded creations and gothic gorgeousness that is ‘Wildheart’…… Well it’s all her fault!!!

She posted up a picture of some naughty cushions and bunting on Facebook saying how she wished someone local to her would be daring enough to make some…. Cue the ever up for having a go, crafting whirlwind that is me……. and see what happens. And, as usual, it’s been a case of lighting the blue touch paper, standing well back and holding on for dear life to your sensibilities….. again!

I’m on the search for some suitably kitsch squirrel and badger themed fabric if anyone knows of any….. I want to make ‘Badgers Rock’ and ‘Squirrels Are Nuts’ versions for a little ‘Woodland’ themed trio of cushions.

Now I’m certain you all know that I’m trying hard to make sure I don’t offend you lovely folks out there in Blogland by selecting only the tamer options to share with you – But I think you possibly know that there’s a few shockers in the mix; Let’s just say that I definitely wouldn’t let the Vicar come for tea without maybe moving a few out of his general view!

Ooooh, Errrrh! They are a bit naughty aren’t they? Suffice to say they’ve gone down a storm!!!!

The ‘Bite Me’ cushion has proved to be the most popular thus far, closely followed by my homage to a long dead, Danish king that tried to stop the tide from coming in……. well that’s the politest way I can describe the design without posting a picture that leaves little to the imagination, lol

That’s quite enough of that!

Or is it?

Well, I did mention bunting too – And that’s coming along quite nicely thank you very much…………. No piccies yet though 😉

There’s just one more thing I need to share with you whilst on the subject of all things potty mouthed; Subversive cross stitch. Google it and you’ll come up with some marvellous examples – I’ve been making a few of my own to complement the assorted cushion designs. Just very small and simple, innocent looking items that maybe make you look twice once spotted from the corner of a beady eye.

Shhhhh! Don’t tell the Vicar!

Heh Heh! I love the little ornate frame and the fact that you’d expect some pious words of wisdom to be stitched and displayed therein……..

Erm, yes!

Want to have a go yourself? Here’s the chart I made for it; It takes no time at all to create and uses only whole cross stitches and two colours of thread; Perfect for beginners or seasoned cross stitchers alike.

Free to use etc but please remember to acknowledge the designer, blah, blah, blah 😉